January is tough. December is so busy with holiday festivities that, by the time you get to making those New Year’s Resolutions, what you really need is a BREAK. Maybe that’s why so many resolutions end up on the cutting room floor…

So now that we’re into February, it’s time to take a step back and really think about the goals and commitments you’ve set for yourself – and your business – for 2017! This blog post features Kurt Treu, the owner of The Growth Coach in Cleveland, Ohio. Treu is a former Market President and Executive Vice President for US Bank and, in addition to his 32 years in banking, Treu has more than 20 years of coaching experience and transformational leadership training. Treu was a perfect guest for this blog because he not only offers his advice, but also discusses his own personal approach to the idea of goal setting.

Although people think a lot about goals at this time of the year, Treu likes to focus on commitments.

“In believe the most powerful goal setting starts with one big goal and one big ‘commitment’ and that is: Who are you being and who do you want to be? We need to decide this first: who do we want to be showing up in the world and what are we ‘committed’ to? We need to drop self-talk that says anything like ‘I just can’t grow my business, I’m not sure this is going to work…’ For me, that means replacing self-doubt with a commitment like ‘I am an extraordinary coach who can make a difference for anyone I meet with and I am going to create the most extraordinary coaching practice in this market to the point where I will be unable to keep up with the demand’. Once you have that statement in mind, or a statement of your own – you have to ‘show up’ every day with this commitment,” Treu said.

Once you decide on that commitment and you start each day on your “A” game to make it happen, you’ll also realize that every action you take must be in service to and consistent with this commitment.

“This is when you start to break down your actions into smaller goals. For me, it sounds like ‘I am going to hold X number of small business workshops, I am going to have X number of prospects or COI meetings, I am going to put together X number of strategic business owner workshops or 1:1 engagements… you then take action on what needs to happen for these to become a reality,” Treu.

Of course making sure you’re staying on top of your commitments also means constantly evaluating your progress and holding yourself accountable. Although some people like to have a formal way or set timeline to revisit their goals, Treu recommends keeping your goals and commitments top of mind throughout the year.

“At The Growth Coach, we teach the power of accountability. That means holding ourselves to whatever actions and activities we have set for ourselves. Or, better yet, finding a coach to help hold you accountable,” Treu said.

“It’s also important to be open to making changes based on what you are learning from your efforts – if something is not working, you need to ask yourself ‘what is missing’ from this effort and then be open to supplying what is missing to perfect your approach,” he added.

Above all, having a successful year – and a succesful business – means combining patience with passion, Treu said.

“If you have ever attempted to learn how to play a musical instrument you know that you don’t get great at it in a month or two. You have to practice – a lot – you have to take the steps necessary to build the muscles to be great at anything! So, decide what the steps are and start taking them – do not be discouraged – remember who you are being and what you are committed to and put in the work!” Treu said.

Being a business leader is stressful, even when you’re making money. If you’re not taking time to slow down and enjoy life, you’re setting yourself – and your business – up for failure. But how do you juggle running a company, building a business and taking time for yourself? My name is Lisa Hudson, the owner of The Growth Coach of Carmel, and I’m here to help you find those answers.